


An Unfortunate Death Within the Caverns

by spinalcord



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Short One Shot, warning: emetophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 12:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinalcord/pseuds/spinalcord
Summary: The damp, dark interior of the cave seemed to stretch on forever and Wilson was sure that he would never locate the entrance. It seemed as though the walls moved every time he turned his back, shifting the entire landscape of the underground hall. He was already starting to run low on food although he had only been inside for two or three days at most, but the bunnymen that constantly surrounded him, their red eyes blinking slowly in the blackness just a few feet from him, ensured that he would never be able to kill any batilisks for their wings.





	An Unfortunate Death Within the Caverns

**Author's Note:**

> This is a much older fic of mine that I dug up, so I'm not really looking for any critiques on it. It has some oddities and weird bits, but I'm not going to go to the trouble of editing it since it hasn't been touched since 2013. It used to be hosted on pastebin for my blog followers, but I'm putting it here in all its glory just for the hell of it. Please read the tags for warnings first.

The damp, dark interior of the cave seemed to stretch on forever and Wilson was sure that he would never locate the entrance. It seemed as though the walls moved every time he turned his back, shifting the entire landscape of the underground hall. He was already starting to run low on food although he had only been inside for two or three days at most, but the bunnymen that constantly surrounded him, their red eyes blinking slowly in the blackness just a few feet from him, ensured that he would never be able to kill any batilisks for their wings. Once, he had contemplated attacking the overgrown rabbits and taking shelter in their hutches, but the beasts numbered in the dozens and possessed overwhelming strength. He opted, instead, for the sparse vegetation found throughout the cave.

Mushrooms and berries were fairly easy to come by in the larger corridors, but the mushrooms, for the most part, were much more trouble than they were worth. Any red mushrooms he found were left out to kill the unsuspecting bunnymen. However, this didn’t seem to put a dent in their population, and certainly didn’t deter them from following the scientist. He would occasionally wander into a small patch of cave banana trees but, being extremely allergic, passed them without a second thought.

In the distance, Wilson could see an area filled with the odd looking light bulb plants. He quickened his pace, cursing the flickering torch under his breath. Once inside the ring of eerie bluish light, he extinguished the flaming stick and tossed it to the ground along with his backpack. Not a single noise could be heard, save for the quiet chattering of the bunnymen and the gentle _drip-drip_ of the ceiling. He slumped to the ground then, taking full advantage of the opportunity to rest. It was far too dangerous to get a good night’s sleep anywhere in the cave, but a ten minute rest wouldn’t hurt.

Wilson woke with a start and stared around the room. He had only meant to rest his eyes, but he was so exhausted that he ended up drifting to sleep. Thankfully, no immediate danger presented itself, and the only other creatures that occupied the same space were the bunnymen. He lay back down on the floor, wondering how long he had slept for. Surely, it must have been a few hours. He silently cursed himself, but at the same time was grateful for the rest. After a few more moments, he sat up again and began collecting his things. He also put together a few extra torches before he set off.

He hadn’t gotten far from his temporary camp before his stomach growled loudly and he sighed; stopping to eat was becoming a major inconvenience. Fortunately, there was another lit clearing just ahead on the right and he half-jogged, half-walked to it, hoping that it was free of spiders. He stopped when he reached the edge of the light, but didn’t hear any tell-tale hisses, so he quickly dropped his backpack on the ground and began to dig through it. He pulled the smaller bag out and opened it to find only a very small handful of berries. He tipped the bright red berries into his mouth and looked up to examine the vegetation in the clearing as his stomach growled again.

The small clearing held five light plants and two over-burdened banana trees, but no bushes or mushrooms. He plucked a banana from the tree and examined it carefully in the blue light, weighing his choices. Either he could eat a few bananas now and continue searching for an exit before he got sick, or he could search the cave for more berries to save himself from his terrible allergy but possibly starve. Another low growl broke his concentration, and he decided to simply pack a few bananas in his backpack and keep moving.

The dark, damp cave continued to twist and turn, spiders poured out of every crevice, bunnymen fidgeted and squeaked, and Wilson still wandered deeper. He wasn’t sure- _couldn’t_ be sure- if he was really going in circles. The slick walls all looked the same, the _drip-drip_ of the stalactites was near constant, and there was no sign of any nearby clearings. This was especially troublesome, as the few lit areas in the cave, albeit quite dim, were the only places that berry bushes could possibly flourish. He again pondered if hunting the bunnymen was a viable option, but instantly dismissed the thought when he realized that several dozen occupied the small space he was currently in.

A pile of smooth boulders were piled against the closest wall and Wilson inched closer to thoroughly inspect them. Deciding they were perfectly normal rocks, he dropped his backpack and took a seat. His torch was just flickering and he used the last of it to light one of the numerous spares he had put together. A few spiders could be heard close by, but he felt it was still safe enough to take a short rest as long as he stayed fairly still and quiet. Unfortunately, the quiet part was a little bit difficult to achieve as his stomach decided it was the perfect time to remind him just how hungry he was. A particularly loud growl stopped some of the nearby spiders and he swallowed thickly, pressing both hands to his belly in an attempt to quiet it. A pair of eyes flashed in the darkness and he froze until the spider apparently lost interest and skittered away. Once the area had gone silent, he grabbed the lit torch and his backpack and made a run for it.

After what he assumed had been about a day, he collapsed in a barren ring of light, cold, exhausted, and absolutely starving. He had not passed a single berry bush in his recent journey around the cave, and the one mushroom he had spotted was snatched from his hand by a greedy bunnyman. He nearly became hysterical then, but a hoard of spiders devouring a pair of dead bunnymen snapped him back to his senses. Spending so long in the dark had also taken a toll on his vision, and the dim light of the clearing seared his eyes. He squinted around the cave, but couldn’t make out any nearby enemies, so he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

His dreams were unpleasant, as usual, but these were filled with overwhelming shadows and giant, disfigured creatures with cloudy eyes, surely blinded by the constant darkness. Desperately, he ran from them, only to be confronted with more and more in every corner, until he collapsed in a glowing ring of foliage, where he watched as an even more monstrous creature clawed its way out of his belly before turning to rip the rest of his body apart. Upon waking from the nightmare, he gasped and curled into a tight ball, both hands clutching his sides as his insides felt as if they were being ripped to shreds and a growl echoed throughout the cave. Sweat dripped from his brow as he lay perfectly still, trying his best to calm down. After several minutes, he carefully sat up and pulled the ragged backpack into his lap.

Pulling a banana out of the bag, he studied it carefully and again weighed his options in his mind. A low, rumbling growl and a pang of nausea broke his concentration and he ripped the banana open without a second thought. Bits and pieces of the fruit were choked down, hardly chewed, and all four disappeared in mere minutes. He couldn’t stop himself. He was ravenous.

When the last peel dropped from his hand, his whole body filled with dread. He swallowed thickly, knowing exactly what would happen in an hour or so. Should he stay here, where there was plenty of light and no nearby creatures, or should he continue to explore the cave until his body forced him to an abrupt halt? Not a sound could be heard as he stared around the cave. The constant dripping and light chattering of the bunnymen was completely absent, and he began to feel as though he would never escape, that he would just die in this cave alone. A few drops of water fell from the ceiling and he turned his gaze upwards, trying to see how the light was filtering into the cave. It appeared as though there was a hole in the forest floor, covered over with needles and leaves and dirt.

A bit of hope swelled and he looked around the cave, searching for a wall, a tall plant, anything that could be used to reach that hole. A pile of rocks stood nearby and he cautiously approached, tapping the stone a few times before pulling himself up. It was very dim, almost completely dark, and his hands roamed blindly over the mass of stone. After a few minutes, he pulled himself onto a ledge and his hands shot out into open air. He believed he was at the top and, head swirling, looked to the ceiling. It was indeed a hole in the forest floor, as he could hear pigmen bustling about, but he was still much too low to reach it.

His heart sank again and he slowly made his way back down the rocks, slipping near the bottom but catching himself just before his head made contact with the stone. He sat down inside the dim ring and began to think of another way to escape. He had no rope, only a small amount of twigs left, and the only other available material was the small chunks of stone littering the floor. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he seized the nearest rock, pausing only for a moment before throwing it as hard as he could at the hole. It broke through and a large section of debris fell, scattering across the cave floor. Wilson lifted his head and saw that much more light flooded the area.

He smiled, sure that this was his escape, and began collecting rocks off the floor by the armload. His happiness was cut short, however, when his stomach suddenly jolted and his entire body began to tremble. The rocks were hastily dumped on the floor as he doubled over, one hand clutching his stomach, the other gripping his knee to brace himself as his insides churned and tumbled. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to concentrate on breathing evenly, staying calm, anything but the terrible wave of nausea that washed over him. Shakily, he stood up and tried to back away from the rocks and debris, but another lurch sent a hand flying to cover his mouth just in time to stifle a queasy burp. Sweating and uneasy, he moaned and pressed both hands to his bubbling tummy as a few more burps and hiccups escaped his lips.

Walking around wasn’t helping much, but neither was standing still, so Wilson attempted to shuffle closer to his things without further upsetting his stomach. He was deeply regretting ever touching those bananas and silently cursed himself for his stupidity. The partially chewed fruit tossed and tumbled inside him and he knew that he wasn’t going to make it as another hot burp pushed itself up his throat, this time accompanied by a small splash of vomit. He swallowed thickly, then leaned forward as his cheeks puffed up and eyes watered. Nothing came up then and he groaned before forcing another burp. That time, a stream of vomit splashed onto the floor of the cave as he gripped both knees, trying to steady himself.

Feeling dizzy, he stumbled backwards a step or two, nearly falling before he managed to catch himself. He swiped a hand across his mouth and looked down to check his shoes. He thought he had missed them, but evidently he hadn’t leaned far enough, since the toes were coated with the thick liquid. It certainly wasn’t the first time this had happened, and he only hoped that there were no holes for the mess to leak through. Raising his head, he gazed, bleary-eyed, around the cave and listened closely for any curious monstrosities. A faint hiss echoed down the corridor but the spider couldn’t be seen in the inky blackness. Wilson relaxed, or at least, as much as he could as his stomach continued to churn.

Not surprisingly, the light filtering inside was beginning to fade, and he was quite aware that dusk inside the caves was much darker than outside. His ragged backpack still sat some distance away, but he was desperate now for a spare torch, at least, and the remaining sip of water he had packed away. A few beads of sweat dripped from his brow as he carefully inched towards his things. He focused simply on breathing and putting one foot in front of the other, silently encouraging himself to walk forward despite his headache and clouded vision.

Just before the light faded completely, the scientist eased himself onto the floor near his backpack and lit one of the torches he had made sometime earlier. He didn’t have the supplies to make a proper campfire, so he settled for throwing a few scraps of grass and twigs in a heap and lit that instead. The canteen he had packed was actually about half-full and he considered this a small miracle. However, his celebration was cut short as his stomach lurched again and he pushed his things to the side as he leaned over and prepared for the worst yet again.

The second time around was a bit quicker, but that didn’t make it much better. Wilson wrapped both arms around himself as he hiccupped and gagged, trying not to fight it as best he could so it would just be over. What remained of the fruit swirled inside him as he tried to relax, leaning back slightly to rub a hand over his belly. His headache was stronger now and the edges of his vision darkened and wavered. Sweat dripped onto the floor of the cave, creating dark patches in the strange soil. A tiny burp forced its way up his throat and with it came the feeling of rising liquid. He tilted his head forward and planted one hand beside his folded legs as he silently begged for this to be the end. He gagged and vomit poured across the floor, mixing with the loose soil as the scientist remained completely still. There was still more, somehow, he knew it.

He watched as his sweat dripped onto the mess and impatiently waited for the next bout. The fire flickered, still going but not quite as strong. A few squeaks and clicks floated down into the cavern, but where they came from was a mystery. He wondered if it would be fine to add something to the fire, but even the smallest movement caused his stomach to protest. Starting to worry, Wilson kneaded at his tummy and forced another burp, but nothing came. After several more minutes, a feral hiss echoed down the nearby corridor and multiple pairs of glowing eyes shined in the darkness. He immediately froze, willing them to turn back, but the more his mind screamed, the closer the monsters came. Panicked, he grabbed his spear from the backpack and jumped to his feet, but his legs trembled violently beneath him and he sank back to the ground. The closest spider paused momentarily to hiss again, and Wilson weakly pointed the spear in their direction as his stomach forced him to hunch over. The hairy things surrounded him as he attempted to fight them off, but he gagged again and leaned over as more thick vomit forced its way out of him. Tears pricked his eyes now, both from the pain and the knowledge that he would die, yet again.

The spiders were closing in, and Wilson could only watch as they hissed at him one last time.


End file.
